Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 5: My blood pressure is high only because I drink so much coffee. Caffeine’s effect on the body, and particularly blood pressure, is still widely debated. Studies have shown that for people who don’t have caffeine on a regular basis, drinking coffee, tea, some soft drinks, chocolate and headache remedies may cause blood pressure to go up – but only temporarily. Researchers have noted a significant increase in blood pressure of 2.4 mm Hg systolic (the upper number) and 1.2 mm Hg diastolic (the lower number) for people drinking an average of five cups of coffee a day. As well, the body does seem to become tolerant to the effects of caffeine when it is consumed regularly, so the long-term effects on blood pressure are not well-understood. When having your blood pressure taken, you may want to avoid coffee for several hours before in order to get an accurate reading. Talk to your doctor before consuming any caffeine products, including coffee. Caffeine may also aggravate other heart conditions like arrhythmia. Read more myths and facts about high blood pressure in the Foundation’s brochure entitled Get Your Blood Pressure Under Control. The information contained in this post was obtained from  - Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada) Monica Disclaimer The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 4: The only way to control high blood pressure is with medication.
If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, medication is extremely important to keep it under control. But, along with medication, there are also lifestyle habits such as eating healthy foods and getting regular physical activity that can keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. Start by getting a personalized Blood Pressure Action Plan™ at www.heartandstroke.ca/bp 

(Next week - Myth # 5)

The information contained in this post was obtained from  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

Monica

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 3: High blood pressure is always caused by a poor diet and lack of activity.

There are some diet and lifestyle factors that can certainly increase your risk of high blood pressure. Some of the major factors include eating too much salt, a lack of regular physical activity or being overweight or obese. However, some of the risk factors for high blood pressure are things that you cannot control such as:

• Age (about half of people over the age of 65 have high blood pressure)
• Family history of high blood pressure
• Ethnicity (high blood pressure is more common among people who are of African, South Asian or First Nations, Inuit or Métis heritage.)

If you belong to an at-risk group, talk to your doctor about your blood pressure as soon as possible. Make sure you are getting regular blood pressure checks and listening to your doctor’s advice on the best preventive measures.

(Next week - Myth # 4)

The information contained in this post was obtained from  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

Monica

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 2:

One abnormal pressure reading at the doctor means I have high blood pressure. 

One high reading is not enough to determine you have high blood pressure.  A doctor will diagnose hypertension only after several readings taken over a period of time.  If you have one high reading, you should have it measured at least two more times on seperate days to check whether it is consistently high.  Your doctor may adivise you to abstain from caffeine or physical 
activity several hours before the test to get an accurate reading.

(Next week - Myth # 3)

I obtained the information contained in this post from  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

Monica

Disclaimer - 
The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

Myth 1:
If my blood pressure were high, I would be able to feel it.


High blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer” because there are usually no symptoms. Some people may think that if their heart rate (number of times your heart beats per minute) is normal, this means their blood pressure is, too. But how fast your heart beats is not necessarily an indication of how high your blood pressure is. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked by your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider. Know your blood pressure readings and find out how often you should have it checked.


(Next week - Myth # 2)

I obtained the information contained in this post from  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

Monica

Disclaimer - 
The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - The Silent Killer

(A little side note - because this is such a serious topic, I wanted to lighten things up a bit with a little cartoon.  I searched Google Images trying to find one featuring women and high blood pressure....interestingly, they all featured men.  This reinforces my perception that hypertension, and heart disease in general, is still perceived as a "male only" issue - which it is not! ) 

High blood pressure is often referred to as the "silent killer" because there are usually no symptoms.

You can have high blood pressure, or hypertension, and still feel just fine.  Hypertension is a major health problem and if not controlled can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, or kidney failure and can, in fact, affect all organs of the body.

Without regular blood pressure check-ups you put yourself at risk of serious health problems.  However, by being informed and taking action, you can get your high blood pressure under control before it becomes a problem.

Take control of your body, be proactive and have regular blood pressure monitoring!


I referenced the following sites for the information contained in this post  -

Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada)

National Institute of Aging (US)

Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick

Next week...Five common myths about high blood pressure!

Monica

Disclaimer - 
The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.